LAHORE:M Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson has said that all efforts would be made to enhance bilateral trade.
She was talking to the LCCI president Sheikh Muhammad Arshad and Vice President Nasir Saeed here at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Former LCCI Presidents Mian Anjum Nisar, Muhammad Ali Mian and Executive Committee Members were also present on the occasion.
Australian High Commissioner informed the house that she had a meeting with the officials of Australian Cricket Board and discussed the matter of Australia-Pakistan cricket relations.
She underlined the need for boosting trade relations between Australia and Pakistan as the meager volume of bilateral business does not reflect the cordial ties between the two countries.
She said that Power Generation, Agriculture, Livestock, Sports goods, Information Technology, Health and Education are the key sectors wherein Pakistani businessmen can take advantage of Australian technological advancements to play their role for economic turnaround of the country.
Australian High Commissioner said that Pakistan could avail Australian expertise in vocational training as Australian Vocational Training Modules are best of the best in the world.
She also stressed the need for frequent exchange of business-related delegations so that both the sides could have first-hand knowledge of the available opportunities. She said that Pakistani goods were best of the best in the world and has a very huge potential in Australian market.
Speaking on the occasion, the LCCI President Sheikh Muhammad Arshad said that scenario in Pakistan is not as bad as being portrayed by the international media. It has become a safest zone because of joint efforts of the government and armed forces.
The LCCI President said that Pakistan is blessed with extensive natural resources, including oil and natural gas reserves, the fourth-largest coal reserves in the world and potential for hydropower, Pakistan offers marvelous opportunities to Australian businessmen.
Sheikh Muhammad Arshad said that there are prospects for growth in trade and investment particularly in the field of agribusiness, education, mining for oil and gas exploration, IT & Communications and development of processed foods etc.
He said that Pakistan is an agro-based economy but unfortunately, most of excessive agriculture produce wasted due to lack of post harvest technology. He said that Pakistan is striving hard to strengthen its agro-based and dairy industry. He said that in this regard, the professional expertise of Australian agro-based industrial sector could be very helpful. He said that there is a vast scope of investment in horticulture, cattle and sheep breeding, processing, canning, packing, and preservation of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The LCCI vice president Nasir Saeed said that the investment opportunities for Australian investors were reflected in the fact that Pakistan is a very huge market having a population of about 190 million. He said that highly skilled and disciplined labour force was estimated at more than 50 million. There is a large corps of professional managers, engineers, computer scientists and bankers.
He said that business houses like LCCI and the different Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Australia could also play a vital role to enhance the trade ties between the two countries. Trade fairs, single country exhibitions as well as exclusive “country weeks” could be arranged on reciprocal basis to achieve this goal.
Major Australian exports to Pakistan are fertilizers, mineral fuels, oil seed, fruit and vegetables, iron & steel, paper and paper board etc. Major Pakistani exports to Australia include textiles, cereals, cotton, leather goods, carpets, sports goods etc.
